Paul Roshka, a founding member of Roshka DeWulf & Patten in Phoenix, opened a mediation practice focusing on securities and general business matters. He has more than 40 years of experience representing parties in almost 200 mediations. Roshka attended mediator training at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law, and he received his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Promotions and hires

Michael Charles Brown, David Jackson, Neel Kothari and Eric Wanner joined Lewis Roca Rothgerber in Phoenix as associates. All but Wanner joined the litigation practice. Wanner is in the business transactions practice. During law school Brown served as a judicial extern at the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona and the Arizona Court of Appeals. He received his law degree summa cum laude with high pro bono distinction, from Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law in 2013. Jackson clerked for Hon. John Pelander at the Arizona Supreme Court and as a judicial extern for the Hon. James A. Teilborg in the U.S. District Court in Arizona. He received his law degree magna cum laude and high pro bono distinction from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law in 2012. Kothari served as a law clerk to Hon. G. Murray Snow in the U.S. District Court in Arizona and as an extern to Hon. Sandra S. Ikuta at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. As an associate at a litigation firm, he assisted with insurance, intellectual property and malpractice disputes. Kothari received his law degree cum laude from the University of Chicago Law School in 2010. Wanner clerked for Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch at the Arizona Supreme Court; as a legal intern for Hon. Mary Murguia at the U.S. Court of Appeals in the 9th Circuit; and Hon. Kenneth Mangum and Bruce Cohen at the Maricopa County Superior Court. Wanner received his law degree summa cum laude from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law in 2012.

Doug and Claudia Zanes, principals of personal injury firm Zanes Law, have opened a third law office at 6601 W. Bethany Home Road, Suite A10, in Glendale. Doug Zanes serves as supervising attorney and Claudia Zanes, serves as non-attorney CEO.

Christopher Kramer, member at Dickinson Wright/Mariscal Weeks in Phoenix, has been appointed to the Eminent Domain and Land Use Committee of the Transportation Research Board. His practice emphasizes domain litigation, primarily the representation of condemning authorities. He got his law degree from the University of Notre Dame School of Law in 1986.

Michelle Lauer, an associate at Jaburg Wilk in Phoenix, has been appointed to the Maricopa County Bar Association Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Section board of directors. Her practice includes estate planning, probate and guardianships and conservatorships. She got her law degree from California Western School of Law.

Awards and honors

Joseph A. Kanefield, a partner at Ballard Spahr in Phoenix, has been elected to the American Law Institute, an independent organization of more than 4,000 lawyers, judges and law professors that produces scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law. He focuses his practice on government relations, civil and appellate litigation, public-private partnerships, administrative law, state and local tax matters, gaming, and election and campaign-finance law. He received his law degree from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in 1994.

Susan Plimpton Segal, a partner at Gust Rosenfeld in Phoenix, received the John R. McDonald Award from the Arizona School Boards Association in recognition for a school attorney who advanced public education in Arizona. Her practice focuses in education, municipal and public law. She received her law degree from the Arizona State University College of Law in 1979.

Lewis Roca Rothgerger joined the honorees in the 2014 edition of the U.S. News -- Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” list. The Phoenix office received tier 1 rankings in Phoenix for 28 practice areas. Tucson office received five tier 1 rankings.

Burch & Cracchiolo achieved first-tier rankings in the U.S. News-Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” in three practice areas.

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